Paper Flower Craft

 I don't get to do this very often, not sure if it is because work is just so busy that by the time I get home, I am too tired, or whether I just haven't had the inclination to want to do this craft.

Since moving back to the family home, life has been difficult. With taking 3 months stress leave last year and then a trip away, a family holiday and the chaos when I did go back to work, because we were still very much short staffed and there was so much to achieve, that I just never got my head engaged to get my craft room (aka oldest son's bedroom after he moved out in May 2024) sorted.

It is slowly now coming together, even though I did get the shelves in situ a few months ago. I still have a lot of work to do to finish unpacking boxes of items and also, I keep changing my mind about where things will live, you know, the usual thing, that you put something somewhere and then a few weeks/months later, you change your mind and rearrange everything!

Sadly, last week my youngest son's girlfriend lost her grandfather suddenly and I wanted to make something for her. So, I looked through the craft items I have got out and put on the shelves and decided to make her a small bunch of flowers. I knew she would appreciate the thought.

They turned out really well and I was really happy with the little bouquet when it was finished. She loved them too and thought it was a lovely gesture.

Christmas Day

My boys are now big enough to not be home for Christmas!

The oldest (21), as you know, now lives in another city (over 6 hours away) and the youngest (19) has a girlfriend, so can be here, can be there.

So, for Christmas Day, until Alex came home, there was just 3 adults who were not that bothered by the day or presents. Well, we like presents but we didn't have to do a 6am mad session to open them.

I snuck out at 7.30am to go do parkrun (another post will be about that) and when I came home the adults were up and getting food, so I showered and then had breakfast.

Alex had been working until about 1am, so had actually come into the house, changed and then gone to his girlfriend's house to sleep. According to Grandma, it was like a herd of elephants came into the house at 1am and caused a racket lol.

Although, he did let us all know that he had been there as he made sure that Santa's message got to us....

Shame that Santa takes after him and can't spell, but I will let him off as it was 1am and he had been working for 12 hours!

Ben, well he was actually working on Christmas day so was not even with his new family down there! And he wasn't going to be with them until 7pm. We checked in with him via video call when we had opened our presents.

He looked happy, so I was all happy seeing him and that beautiful smile.

Whilst Steve and I are no longer together as a couple, we are still important to each other and so we do get each other presents for Christmas, birthdays etc

Today, he made me cry, yes, for the first time in forever he got it right!

He knows that I have discussed many times over the years about wanting to take the day long train from Auckland to Wellington. It only takes 8 hours! I don't even mind which way I go, up or down, but I have always wanted to do it (I will write another post about it one day)

Today, he gave me my present and it was a voucher that entitled me to a trip on the train whenever I could organise it. Now I have some planning to do.

And just like that, the happenings of the family on Christmas Day.

Christmas Ornaments

 I do like to create things, and this year I found an awesome little pattern for tree decorations made out of felt, so I gave it a go.

Simple paper/card templates that you use to cut the felt

A quick whip stitch around in a matching colour, obviously this was just a simple two colour design but there were others that had other parts to them so many different colours.

Add some stuffing and some beads to make it stand out more and voila....a gift for someone.

They are not difficult and do not take long to produce. I got the pattern from Whatacurlylife on Instagram.

I made a gingerbread man for my colleague